But Harambe as a pop culture phenomenon is here to stay. The meme grew into something far bigger than the original story, upsetting though it was.

The story had such an impact partly because there were so many visuals available. TV channels showed footage of the child falling into the moat and Harambe reaching for him, allowing people to broadcast their own judgments on whether his death was justified.

It crossed over from social media into real life, with people trying to sell Harambe merchandise and some getting tattoos in commemoration.

eBay seller tells me he has yet to receive money from winning bidder who agreed to pay $99,900 for this Harambe shaped Cheeto pic.twitter.com/nzs895TDk9